Energy

Renewable Energy

Browse key developments, news, and technical briefs for renewable energy sectors. Design engineers will discover insights to the advantages and integration of renewable power technologies.

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News: Energy

Researchers at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed thin films that exhibit carrier multiplication (CM) - a development that is of great interest for future solar cells.

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News: Energy

Oriel Sol3A™ solar simulators from Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA) are available in sizes from 2 x 2, 4 x 4, 6 x 6, and 8 x 8 inches, making them ideal for the test and measurement of solar cells.

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News: Green Design & Manufacturing

Using nanoparticle “inks” developed at University of Texas at Austin, solar cells could be printed more cheaply - with a roll-to-roll printing process on a plastic substrate or stainless steel. The prospect of...

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News: Energy

An Ohio State University team led by Shang-Tian Yang, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has found a way to double the production of the biofuel butanol - which might someday replace gasoline in...

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Videos: Transportation
An Inside Look at Biomass in the Lab

At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, scientists are developing technology to allow ethanol to be made from cellulose and hemicellulose, the fibrous material that makes up the bulk of most plant matter, instead of starches and sugars.

News: Energy

High-rate digestion with microfiltration is state-of-the-art in large sewage plants. It effectively removes accumulated sludge, and produces biogas to generate energy. A Fraunhofer Institute study reveals...

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News: Energy

The T7 absolute inclinometer from US Digital (Vancouver, WA) utilizes a solid-state sensor to give high-accuracy tilt readings over a 360 degree range, and is ideal for concentrated solar power...

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News: Energy

Scientists are striving to develop organic solar cells that can be produced as easily and inexpensively as thin films. A major obstacle is coaxing these carbon-based materials to...

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News: Government

DOE announced the availability of up to $5.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase the use of higher ethanol blends up to E85 (85% ethanol/15% gasoline) by expanding refueling...

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News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Improvements in Organic Photovoltaics on the Horizon
Organic photovoltaics, which rely on organic molecules to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, have come a step closer to reality thanks to discoveries by NIST researchers. The scientists have deepened their understanding of the complex organic films at the heart of the devices.
News: Energy

Over 30 French college students have collaborated to design the world’s first solar-powered blimp, Nephelios. One hundred years after the first flight across the English Channel by Louis...

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News: Green Design & Manufacturing

BaySpec, Inc. (Fremont, CA) introduces a Raman-specific 1064nm spectrometer designed for measuring microalgae, a promising future source of biofuels. Using the NunavutTM spectrometer, researchers were able...

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News: Government

DOE is offering $52.5 million for research, development, and demonstration of concentrating solar power (CSP) systems that provide low-cost electrical power both day and night. CSP...

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News: Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the availability of up to $85 million toward the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels. DOE seeks to bring...

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News: Energy

There's a new way to fabricate efficient solar cells from low-cost and flexible materials. The new design grows optically active semiconductors in arrays of nanoscale pillars -...

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News: Energy

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have come up with an innovative approach that can safely and economically extract and convert...

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Articles: Energy

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced up to $32 million in Recovery Act funding, which is designed to support the deployment of hydropower turbines and control technologies to...

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News: Energy

Photovoltaic and wind energy plants, hydroelectric power stations, and biogas plants can be complex to design and maintain. In designing a hydroelectric power station, an engineer needs to...

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News: Energy

Though the solar industry today predominately produces solar panels made from crystalline silicon, they remain relatively expensive to make. New players in the solar industry have...

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News: Energy

Two things are needed to produce fuel from sunlight: an antenna that harvests light, and a light-driven catalyst. The most efficient antennae contain bacteria. An international...

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News: Energy

Researchers with Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have discovered a mild and relatively inexpensive procedure for removing oxygen from biomass. This procedure, if it...

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News: Green Design & Manufacturing

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed an “electronic glue” that could speed up advances in...

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News: Energy

News of the world's first full-scale floating windmill being built spread over a year ago. Now, the Hywind has reached its final destination, where it will face rigorous...

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News: Energy

New flexible solar cell technology, developed by engineering researchers at McMaster University of Hamilton, Ontario, has been installed in a campus bus shelter to provide power lighting...

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Articles: Energy

In the near future, a crumbling parking lot in downtown Dallas, Texas will be the location of the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States. Re:Vision Dallas is...

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Articles: Energy

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researchers who developed a new way to power robotic underwater vehicles believe a spin-off technology could help convert ocean energy into...

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Articles: Green Design & Manufacturing

The 2008 NASA Tech Briefs "Create the Future Design Contest," presented by SolidWorks, recognized innovation in product design in six categories: Consumer Products, Machinery &...

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Briefs: Energy
Electromagnetically Clean Solar Arrays
The term “electromagnetically clean solar array” (EMCSA) refers to a panel that contains a planar array of solar photovoltaic cells. The cells are laminated with shielding, narrow-current-loop wiring, and structural supports. EMCSAs could be useful in applications that require limited electromagnetic interference.
Articles: Energy

In the effort to produce inexpensive, easily manufactured sources of sustainable, renewable power, solar cells continue to be a major focus — particularly flexible solar cells...

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Webcasts

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On-Demand Webinars: Defense

From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

April Battery & Electrification Summit

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Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Tech Update: 3D Printing for Transportation in 2024

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Upcoming Webinars: Materials

Unleashing Epoxy's Potential: Ensuring Hermetic Sealing in Modern...

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Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

Building an Automotive EMC Test Plan

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

The Moon and Beyond from a Thermal Perspective

Videos